A Moment in Time
by RedDawnRocker
Summary: Could just a small 5 minute window change the lives of 3 people that dramatically? When it's 5 minutes that changes the mood/atmosphere of a marriage proposal it surely could. What would happen if Haruto had proposed to Saki without the word "obligation" hanging over their heads. All it would've taken is a 5 minute delay of an enemy attack to give Saki Rukino the life she deserved.


**Warning: This is my first fan-fic in a long long time. I'm very much out of practice and hope I do the show (Valvrave the Liberator) and the characters (especially Saki, the little Prince and Haruto) the justice they deserve. I hope you enjoy.**

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**All characters and story elements are the properties of their respective owners (Sunrise, Inc). I hold no rights, trademarks, copyrights or license and present this side story as a non-profit fan-fiction in thanks and in respect for my love of the title and characters (especially Saki and Haruto). Thank you Sunrise, for giving me the inspiration to return to my writing.**

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**A Moment in Time**

**by RDR**

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**This is an AU time-line story asking the age old question; "What if an important event was never interrupted by circumstances that possibly changed the future?".**

**In this case, "what if Haruto and Saki's first date lasted just 5 minutes longer and the proposal came at a more appropriately "romantic" time and manner than preparing to head off into battle in full battle gear?". One small directional change could have altered 3 futures.**

**In a romantic setting with open hearts maybe Haruto would've forgotten to use words like "obligation" or phrases like "marry me and take your revenge out on me" and instead saw the hurt girl sitting beside him with her heart clearly on her sleeve...and realized...**

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"What was he like?", the child asked the modelesque young woman beside him, her flowing black hair tossing in the wind whipping through the courtyard in which they stood.

It took a moment for her to ponder. The question had so many answers, many conflicting, but all true. A smile pursed her lips as her mind began to wander, thinking thoughts of her one true love. A glimmer shown in her soft brown eyes that seemed always there when talking of him.

"Some say he was a hero", Saki Rukino began, "others called him a monster", pausing to collect her thoughts. she continued, "Some called him our savior while others would refer to him as our curse".

"But, which was he?!" asked the child.

"He was just Haruto" she giggled in an almost schoolgirl way."He was the love of my life" she answered the child with a smile on her face and a tear in her eye.

The child looked on perplexed.

"But how can he be both good and bad?" the child asked seemingly somewhat confused.

"Did I ever tell you I used to be famous?" Saki giggled, knowing the best way to show the child the real man she knew was through the very eyes of the one who raised him.

"Of course" the child beamed, "you and Camilla both were. You still are the best! You saved many lives!"

Saki laughed, "Thank you for that, my Prince. That's not what I meant though", she smiled at the confused young man.

"You stand in the presence of Saki Rukino, former Acting and Singing Idol Extraordinaire!". She smiled and curtsied to the young lad taking an Idol's bow.

"y...you were an Idol!?" the child almost stuttered in obvious amazement. This brave woman he knew, who stood before him, was obviously beautiful; he never realized quite how beautiful others must have seen her to be.

"One of the best, my Prince", Saki corrected herself proudly, "No, for a short time, I was THE BEST!; At least until someone better came along and I outlived my usefulness to the adult world around me."

The child looked on in wonderment at the woman he'd known all his life as she continued her story.

"It was then I would fall from grace. I was sent to Module 77 as more an exile in punishment than as a student." Saki would utter quietly with a hint of pain in her voice, and something more, almost a sadness it seemed. "The adults in my world would see me as a tool who lost it's use. I would turn my back on them, on my fans who I felt abandoned me and even on society itself. I was alone in my mind. It wasn't a good feeling but I'd been hurt so many times it was the safest feeling to have."

"It turned out my "exile" became the best thing to ever happen in my life; at least at that time. It was here I'd meet my best friend ever. She saved my life; gave it back to me.".

"Her name was Aina-chan. She was an angel, a savior, who taught me that I was more than just an Idol. I was a person capable of so many things. She accepted me for who I was and at the same time ignored what I was. I'll always love her for that."

"When Haruto and I saw ourselves as monsters it was she who smiled and laughed "Saki-chan, you're not a monster! you and Haruto-kun are Kamitsuki!" We were confused at first but soon understood what she meant as she continued to explain to us."

"Kamitsuki..." the child seemed to drift off in thought.

Saki nodded to the child in approval of his use of the word.

"Aina-chan saw that same exact look on our faces at our first hearing the word. She continued to explain it's meaning to us."

"You and Haruto-kun can't die, Saki-chan. It's a blessing not a curse. You've been touched by God!"

"It startled us hearing it but Aina-chan as usual knew how to make anyone feel alright. It's why Kyuma-kun fell in love with her so easily. He even claimed she saved his life on the very day day all he wanted to do was die."

""She nodded me off" he'd say telling us how she told him he had more important things to do than pine over her. She told him she'd wait for him. He was so in love with her. The happiness they must be feeling to finally be together" Saki dreamily whispered drifting off into thought.

"Where are they now?" the child absentmindedly asked not realizing quite what Saki was trying to say.

"We lost them in the first war my prince." Saki whispered more due to loss of breath than fear of speaking it aloud. "Aina-chan was taken from us much too early; Kyuma-kun gave his life fighting beside us; protecting his best friend. He saved Haruto's life by giving his own. He was not only a true hero but a true friend to all of us to the end."

"I owe Aina-chan for more than you'd ever imagine, my Prince. It was Aina-chan that would lead my heart to Haruto's after all". The smile began to return to her lips.

"Taken at first impressions, he believed that I was a "spoiled brat" with an "above it all attitude". I'd made myself appear that way to push people away protecting my heart. I fooled everyone; except Aina-chan."

"Saki-chan is just a "normal girl" Aina-chan informed him almost like a mother scolding her child" Saki laughed. "He smiled and chimed in matter-of-factly "if you say so that's good enough for me"."

"It was on that day I knew I loved him; and I loved her for being the first person in my life who ever cared what happened to me. She was my first real family."

The boy hugged her tight as she tried to unsuccessfully hold back the tears and regain her composure.

"I'll stop asking questions if you want me to. please don't cry" the child begged.

"There's nothing wrong with tears, my Prince, don't ever let anyone tell you otherwise. They're not a sign of weakness. They're a sign of humanity." Saki pulled the child tight to her.

"Aina-chan", Saki stopped to correct herself, "Aina-oneechan taught me that too" Saki wiped her eyes rubbing her slender salty-wet finger across the child's cheek.

"Give me a moment to catch my breath and we can continue" she whispered to the child as she tried to pull off a half-hearted smile for his benefit.

"Now where were we?" she asked herself aloud.

"Oh, yes" she remembered, "you asked earlier what type of man Haruto was" changing the subject. "They say the Founder signed away his humanity to become famous, to become a hero or even a savior."

The child listened intently awaiting the answer to the most important question he had yet to ask.

"They were all wrong!" Saki exclaimed somewhat angrily. "No one really took the time to understand him. He wasn't a bad man. He wasn't a monster. He wasn't even a man. He was a boy; a sweet boy who felt useless, lost and alone. Just as I did all my life. Can you tell why I knew he was my soul-mate?" she asked rhetorically.

The child of course not knowing the meaning of the word "rhetoric" answered with a proud "YES!" quite loudly. Saki once again couldn't keep a giggle from escaping her lips. She continued her story.

"Fearing the death of his oldest and dearest friend, who you know as our Prime Minister"

"SHOKO-CHAN?!" the child exclaimed interrupting his elder in mid-sentence.

"Yes" Saki snickered at the child's excited lack of composure, "Shoko-chan was Haruto's best friend since they were younger than you are now. They were inseparable. At least they were till the war forced them in different directions. Gave them different destinies".

Saki pressed on, "There was an explosion. He feared her dead. He saw Unit 01 standing tall behind him as he turned to see what others were looking at. We were all under attack. Everything exploding around us. He climbed the large ladder almost in a daze due to seeing Shoko-Chan disappear in the midst of an explosion. Once he entered the cockpit, he'd see the control panel and on the screen a question asked, "do you give up your humanity?".

"He never hesitated. He pushed the yes button choosing to lose his humanity to Unit 01 not for glory or power but to avenge Shoko-chan's death and to save the rest of us".

"Did Shoko-chan die?" the child asked unsure of the answer knowing that Saki herself once mentioned coming back to life after dying to a dagger blade; It is, in fact, the way of the Kamitsuki.

"No" Saki winced at the thought "She was actually stuck in a car under a pile of dirt after a missile exploded. She was saving a man's life, without any powers or even a Valvrave. She was a hero even back then. She was my rival for Haruto's affections, but I admired her. She's a strong woman who has saved us all again and again.".

"I once asked Haruto why he chose me over Shoko-chan. His answer made me feel whole again, not like the fractured girl I had always been." Saki would bow her head, eyes closed in thought.

""Shoko is my friend" he answered me "when given the choice to choose me as more than that she chose the world instead. You, my dear love, Miss Rukino had the same choice to make. Without hesitation, you chose me. You've been my friend. You've been my fighting partner. You've been my protector. You've been my lover. How could I ever choose anyone else?".

"I was so lost in him I couldn't speak. all I could do was hold him tight and never let him go."

"I've heard a story." the child commented, fearful of saying the wrong thing, "I know it can't be true".

Saki already knew the answer to the child's question in her heart and spoke before he had a chance to, as if reading his very mind.

"It's true. I told everyone I gave up my humanity for another chance at fame, glory and fortune. Honestly, I lied to them. I will never lie to you my Prince".

Saki couldn't look the child directly in the eye as her greatest secret was about to be exposed and in some ways she still saw it as a moment of her weakness.

"I saw it there, the 04, and saw Haruto standing right in front of me. It was my one chance to know. I gave him my first real kiss to be sure. I was." she continued as the child listened intently. "When I saw the question in front of me on the control panel of the 04, of Camilla, "do you give up your humanity?" I looked at him and knew I never wanted him to feel or be alone again as I knew that feeling myself for many years before he and Aina-oneechan came along. Loneliness isn't a good feeling to experience at all, my Prince. Haruto took mine away; it was only right I took away his. I was so much in love with him after all."

"Did you ever tell him why you did it?" the child whispered.

"No, but I'm pretty sure in the end he knew. It showed in his eyes. I could always read his eyes and he could mine. It's what soul-mates do."

"The eyes are the window to the soul" the child whispered to himself as Saki nodded approvingly to him.

"Never forget that my little Prince. It'll help you find yours someday" Saki warned him.

"Tell me about your first date" the child asked, intrigued by not only the proud man he'd often hear stories and legends about but but the brave and loving woman before him he'd come to see with new eyes. "Did he ask you or did you ask him?"

"I promised you I'd never lie to you but I need time to answer this truthfully to both you and myself." Saki carefully considered her words as not to confuse the child even more but also to make sure to keep her promise to him.

The child waited curiously wondering exactly what the words she'd just spoken could mean.

"Haruto was ill" she began. "Something bad happened. He was hurting. I loved him. I stroked his hair. I took his hand in mine and made him feel better. I protected him as only I could. He was the man I loved so all would be alright."

The child looked on puzzled unsure of what Saki's answer actually was.

"The next morning he called me to ask me out on an official date. I remember it well." Saki began to smile widely. "It was like we had the whole world to ourselves. It was at a cinema it would happen. I spoke my heart to him using the words of my own film as a cover. If he couldn't return my feelings then I could just say I was quoting my lines from the film; but he knew. He could clearly see it in my eyes" Saki began to grin from ear to ear.

The child began to giggle now knowing what Saki could mean from her earlier explanation "they were soul-mates!" he thought to himself awestruck by the very thought.

"I told him I was always alone and no one had ever chosen me", Saki cried, "and that's when he sternly said "I want to marry you!"; telling me he had in fact chosen me! I jumped into his arms and gave him the biggest kiss I'm sure he'd ever received; although I'm quite sure I gave him bigger ones later on" Saki giggled like a schoolgirl once again.

"He got a quick yes too!" she laughed. "I didn't want to take the chance of letting him continue to talk in his nervous state. He had a tendency to put his foot in his mouth when letting it ramble on. I made sure that wasn't happening"; both Saki and the child chuckled thinking about the man who was obviously so inept and yet so loved at the same time.

"He chose me!" Saki thought aloud, smiling, tears in her eyes.

The child squeezed her tight with the biggest smile on his face "I chose you too!".

Saki giggled aloud, "Yes. Yes, you did my Prince; and I'm all the better for it".

Saki continued her story.

"On that day Haruto promised me I'd never be alone again. When he went to a better place, with many of our dear classmates, I was sad; I was angry. I thought he failed to keep that promise."

"Until Akira-chan and Shoko-chan pulled me aside and told me "We're your big sisters now! We're not going anywhere without you!". I was left speechless. It seemed while I was concentrating on loving Haruto, they were concentrating on loving me as well. We had gotten so close but I never once thought to look beyond him. He was my world. I thought I would be alone without he and Aina-chan. It took his loss for me to realize that here with Akira-oneechan and Shoko-oneechan I would never be alone again. They've been my adopted sisters ever since".

"It was soon after that that I found out about you" Saki ran her fingers through the child's hair, deep in thought "I knew right then and there all would be well forever. He kept his promise; even in his sacrifice. He made sure I'd never be alone again".

"You still miss him don't you?" the child asked already sure of the answer he was about to get.

"Very much so, my Prince; more than you could ever imagine; more than life itself." she continued, "But he gave me the greatest gift in the World. He gave me you, my little Haruto. My little Prince; First-born of the Kamitsuki." Saki announced with love and pride in her heart.

"And you know what?" Saki asked the child with an impish grin in her eyes.

"What?!" the child waited excitedly for an answer.

"Akira-oneechan is expecting her first-born, and there will surely be more Kamitsuki children coming soon. You'll never feel alone again either" Saki smiled contently.

"But I don't!" the child exclaimed.

"I'm not alone Mama, I have you!" little Haruto happily corrected dear Saki and continued to correct her misconceptions.

"And, You know, Mama; you're wrong about father being in a better place", her little Prince re-assured her, "Father can't be in a better place. There isn't a better place than here with you!"

Saki hugged her son so tight she wondered if she was cutting off his air. "He is so much like his Father in so many ways" she thought to herself proudly.

"I love you Mama! ", he spoke from his heart as he gave her a bigger hug than she had ever received or thought possible. She returned it with all of her love.

"And I love you my little Prince, my little Haruto" Saki smiled and cried hugging her son; Haruto's son even tighter to her chest.

"I just wish you would've had the chance to meet your Father. He was a great man".

"No, Mama!" Young Haruto once again corrected his mother. "He was just Father!...just Haruto!"


End file.
